Turkey dismisses another 330 academics, brings total to 7,316

A total of 330 academics were dismissed in a new government decree, issued on Tuesday, bringing the total number of academics who lost their jobs after a failed coup on July 15, 2016 to 7,316. Professors, associate professors and lecturers from nearly all universities in Turkey were targeted in the government’s post-coup crackdown. Purged academicswere accused of links to the Gülen movement.

However, Diken news portal wrote that at least 115 of the purged academics were among 1,100 academics who were signatories of a peace declaration criticizing curfews declared in predominantly Kurdish southeastern districts in on Jan. 11 2015.

The peace declaration called on the government to halt the operations by security forces in southeastern Turkey, restore peace to the nation and return to the negotiating table to restart shelved talks with the Kurds to find a peaceful solution to the Kurdish issue.

The declaration frustrated President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government, leading to retribution against the academics. Some of the insults Erdoğan used against them include “so-called intellectuals,” “a flock called intellectuals,” “traitors” and “rough copies of intellectuals.”

Hundreds of academics who signed the declaration were detained after police raided their houses and offices across Turkey following the declaration was announced in January 11, 2016.

With a new state of emergency decree issued on Tuesday, the Turkish government has dismissed 4,464 more public servants. The relentless purge that gained momentum after a failed coup on July 15, 2016 this time dismissed civil servants from the police force, Ministry of Education, Supreme Court of Appeals and Higher Election Board (YSK).

According to the new decree, numbered 686, a total of 4,464 civil servants are dismissed from state bodies. The decree purged 2,585 more teachers, public servants from the Ministry of Education, 417 police officers from the Security General Directorate and 893 others from the Gendarmerie General Command.

Eighty of those who have been dismissed under new decree are from the Turkish Radio and Television Association (TRT), 48 are from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 49 are from the Interior Ministry, 16 are from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, while 330 are academics from several universities across Turkey.

Turkey survived a military coup attempt on July 15, 2016 that killed over 240 people. Immediately after the putsch, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government along with President Erdoğan pinned the blame on the Gülen movement, inspired by US-based Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen. The movement has categorically denied the accusations.

Over 135,000 people, including thousands within the military, have been purged due to their alleged connection to the Gülen movement since the coup attempt. Furthermore, as of Feb. 7, 2017, over 90.870 people were detained and 44.524 people were arrested due to their alleged links to the Gülen movement. (turkishminute.com & turkeypurge.com)